Lakhimpur violence: SIT releases contact numbers urging eyewitnesses to come forward

Officials said the SIT will ensure the identities of eyewitnesses are kept confidential. If they want, they will be given security as well

LUCKNOW To encourage eyewitnesses to come forward and record their statements, the special investigation team (SIT) probing the Lakhimpur Kheri violence case released the contact numbers of its members on Wednesday.

A member of the SIT confirmed that the contact numbers had been publicised so that more eyewitnesses turned up to produce evidences related to the incident (File Photo)

In a statement, the SIT said that details of such people would be kept confidential if they want and they will be given security. A member of the SIT confirmed that the contact numbers had been publicised so that more eyewitnesses turned up to produce evidences related to the incident.

On Tuesday, the Supreme Court directed the Uttar Pradesh government to provide protection to the witnesses in the October 3 violence in Lakhimpur Kheri, where eight persons, including four farmers, were killed during a farmers’ protest.

The contact numbers of five members, including SIT head Upendra Agarwal, DIG, were shared in an advertisement. He could be contacted on his official phone number - 9454400454.

Senior member, superintendent of police, Sunil Kumar Singh’s number is 9454400394 while additional SP, Arun Kumar Singh’s number is 9454401072. The contact numbers of inspector Vidyaram Diwaker and Sudhir Chandra Pandey – investigating officers (IO) of the two cases related to the violence are 7017496741 and 9450782977, respectively.

Minister’s son back to jail hosp

Union minister Ajay Kumar Mishra’s son Ashish Mishra, the main accused in the Lakhimpur Kheri violence case, was shifted back to the district jail hospital in Lakhimpur Kheri from the district hospital on Tuesday evening. He was shifted to the district hospital on Saturday after medical tests showed that his blood sugar had reached “critical level” and he was diagnosed with dengue.

Before this, the SIT had put a petition in the chief judicial magistrate court, Lakhimpur Kheri, over Ashish Mishra being treated at the district hospital. The court had asked for a report from the chief medical officer and the jail superintendent on why he can’t be treated in the jail hospital.

On October 3, the violence had erupted after Ashish Mishra’s car allegedly mowed down four farmers near Banbirpur village under Tikunia police station limits of Lakhimpur Kheri. As many as four other people, including two BJP workers, Shubham Mishra and Shyam Sunder, journalist Raman Kashyap and Hari Om Mishra, the driver of Ashish Mishra’s car were also killed. Two separate FIRs—the first for mowing down of four farmers and the second regarding the killing of four others — were registered at the Tikunia police station.